The present disclosure relates to caps and inkjet recording devices.
Inkjet recording devices are widely used in printers, copiers, multifunction peripherals, etc., because of their small size, low cost, little noise during operation, etc. Inkjet recording devices form an image on a recording medium such as paper etc. by ejecting droplets of ink onto the recording medium through a number of nozzles provided in a nozzle head.
If ink is dried at the ink outlet of the nozzle tip, the concentration of the ink increases and therefore the ink may plug the ink outlet. Therefore, inkjet recording devices are equipped with a cap for capping the ink outlet.
In inkjet recording devices, a so-called meniscus which is the slightly concave surface of ink due to surface tension is formed at the ink outlet. The meniscus is broken by a very small pressure. If the meniscus is broken, the ejection of ink droplets unfortunately becomes unstable in inkjet recording devices, for example.
When the ink outlet is capped by the cap and therefore the space inside the cap is hermetically sealed, the pressure in the space is likely to cause the ink to overflow or break the meniscus. To address such a problem, a structure has been proposed which allows the space inside the cap to be in communication with the atmosphere.